


Flowers

by jenhedgehog



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hanahaki Disease
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-19 04:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13696650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenhedgehog/pseuds/jenhedgehog
Summary: It has been several weeks since Lapis left the Earth, and Peridot still hasn’t fully recovered from the shock of losing her.Amethyst and Steven are trying their best to cheer their friend up each day (they have even created a small garden outside the Crystal Temple in an attempt to bring some happiness to the little green Gem), but start to become extremely concerned when Peridot keeps herself locked in the bathroom again.One day, they start hearing Peridot coughing violently from behind the door, and making rather strange comments about having her own flowers in the room...





	Flowers

It had been several weeks since Lapis left the Earth, and Peridot still hadn’t fully recovered from the shock of losing the Gem whom she loved.

 

She was keeping herself somewhat busy by helping with the upkeep of a small garden outside the Crystal Gems’ temple.  It was a project that Steven and Amethyst had started in a bid to try and cheer the small green Gem up.  It did provide to be a much-needed distraction for Peridot; but upon returning to the bathroom in the evenings, her thoughts always went back in one direction – to Lapis Lazuli.

 

The Ocean Gem meant the world to Peridot.  She’d devoted all of their time together to making sure that Lapis was happy and comfortable... and for what?  For her to leave – taking their home with her!

 

“ _Why_ , Lapis?” Peridot found herself asking every single night as she lay in the bath, staring up at the ceiling.

 

With a deep sigh, Peridot rolled onto her front and picked up her tablet, scrolling through her photograph gallery once again.  There were pictures of herself with Lapis and Pumpkin, their favourite meep-morps, and those pictures Peridot had secretly taken of Lapis while the Ocean Gem was sleeping peacefully...

 

Peridot felt her heart beginning to ache.  As her eyes filled with tears, she mumbled to herself, “Maybe she never really loved me, after all...” before drifting off into yet another restless sleep.

 

The next morning, Peridot was awoken by Amethyst knocking on the bathroom door.

 

“Rise and shine, P-Dot!” she called cheerily, “We’ve got flowers to look after!”

 

The purple quartz waited by the door for a moment, but no reply came from inside the bathroom.

 

“Uh... are you ok in there, Peridot?” she shouted.

 

“Y-yes, I’m fine...” Peridot replied weakly, “I... just want some time to myself today.”

 

Amethyst frowned as she heard Peridot begin to violently cough, the hoarse sound echoing cacophonously around the bathroom.

 

“Are you _sure_ you’re ok?  You don’t sound too good...”

 

“Yes!” Peridot shouted back, “Please... don’t worry about it.”

 

“Ok, but just holler if you need us, alright?” Amethyst said.  She stayed listening by the door for a moment, hearing Peridot coughing again, before walking away to give the technician the space that she clearly needed.

 

Amethyst and Steven decided to tend to the garden without Peridot, but the purple Gem couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was very wrong with their friend.

 

“Maybe she’s just been upset and wants some space?” suggested Steven, “She’s still hurting real badly because of Lapis leaving...”

 

“Yeah, you’re probably right, dude,” Amethyst answered, digging some more holes to plant their new flowers into, “Let’s see how she is tomorrow.”

 

\---

 

When the morning rolled around again, it was Steven who tried to get Peridot’s attention this time.

 

“Peridot!  We’re going to do some gardening, are you in?” he yelled through the door.

 

“N-no... you go... without me...” Peridot murmured in reply, taking heaving breaths in-between words.

 

“Peridot?!  What’s going _on_ in there?!” Steven cried, alarmed by what sounded like the small technician gagging.

 

“I-I’m fine... just tired...” Peridot wheezed, “You go... gardening... I have... my own f-f-lowers... right h-here...”

 

Steven winced as another enormous cough rang though the room.

 

“Peridot... I’m really worried about you.  Can I _please_ come in to check that you’re ok?”

 

The young boy heard a small _click_ as the bathroom door unlocked.  Peridot opened the door ever-so-slightly, just enough to peer at Steven through the gap.

 

With a weak smile, she told him again, “I’m _fine_...”

 

She certainly looked fine – just tired, like she’d said. 

 

“You have your own flowers?!” Steven asked, somewhat bewildered by Peridot’s words, “Did you get them from the garden or something?”

 

Peridot nodded.  Steven wanted to ask the green Gem if he could see the flowers, but she slammed the door before he had the chance.

 

“I’ll see you later then, Peridot” he called to her, slowly making his way to the front of the Temple to attend to the garden.

 

\---

 

When the two quartzes came back from the garden and once again saw no sign of Peridot, Amethyst snapped.

 

“She can’t coop herself up in there again!  We’ve been through this already!” the purple Gem raged as she stormed towards the bathroom door and hammered on it as hard as she could.

 

“Peridot!  Let us in!”

 

There was no answer.

 

“PERIDOT!” she yelled before rapping on the wooden door again.  She shot a very concerned look at Steven, who also appeared to be nervous...

 

“Peridot, please...” Steven cried out, “Answer us!”

 

Silence.

 

“Ok, _that’s it_...” Amethyst announced as she rammed into the bathroom door, knocking it wide open.

 

She and Steven both gasped in horror at the sight that awaited them.

 

Peridot was lying face-down on the bathroom floor, completely motionless.  All around her – on the floor, in the bath, lining the sink – were piles and piles of bright blue flower petals.

 

“Oh my gosh, _PERIDOT_?!” Steven yelled as he ran towards his friend, Amethyst close behind him.  The pair gently lifted Peridot into a sitting position against the bath; and as they did so, they watched in shock as a wave of petals fell from Peridot’s mouth.

 

Steven looked at Amethyst with tears in his eyes, “Amethyst... what’s wrong with her?!”

 

“I dunno, Steven...” the purple quartz replied, “I’ve never seen anything like this before...”

 

She looked around at all the petals strewn across the room, and saw Peridot’s tablet buried underneath a pile of them.  It was still on.  Amethyst cleared some of the petals and took the tablet in her hand.

 

“Amethyst... she’s not moving...” Steven whispered in pure terror as he gently shook Peridot to try and get a response from her.  Slowly, the technician opened her eyes.

 

“L....Lap...Lap-is...” she groaned weakly.

 

“Peridot, it’s okay, please just stay still...”

 

“N-need... L-Lap....is...” she mumbled before coughing up another stream of blue petals.

 

Amethyst walked over to Steven and, without saying a word, handed him the tablet.  His eyes widened as he read the page that Peridot had previously been looking at.

 

“ _HANAHAKI DISEASE_

_Also known as Unrequited Love’s Curse._

_The disease can affect those who are suffering from a broken heart as the result of unrequited love._

_Those afflicted by Hanahaki disease begin to grow flowers deep inside their chest.  The afflicted persons cough up flower petals, which will then go on to become full flowers as the disease takes hold._

_The condition will prove fatal unless those affected have their feelings of love reciprocated.  The only other cure is to perform a procedure that will leave the afflicted person without the ability to feel love again – as well as completely forgetting the love for the one who failed to reciprocate their feelings.”_

 

Steven began to cry.  He held onto Peridot as she began fiercely hacking up more of those awful blue petals.

 

“L—la...pis...”

 

She clung to her chest as another coughing fit gripped her.  Amethyst and Steven watched on, frozen with terror, as entire flowers began to hit the floor.  Peridot’s condition was clearly getting worse.

 

“I...I l-ove.... her...” she gasped, “B-but... she... she doesn’t...”

 

“Take it easy, Dot,” Amethyst gently told her, trying her best to keep it together for her friend.  She looked at Steven, who now had tears absolutely streaming down his face.  They both knew it, but neither of them wanted to accept it – without Lapis, there was nothing that either of them could do for Peridot.

 

The technician let out a terrible scream of agony as she grasped her chest again, bringing forth another mound of flora.

 

“P...please... m-make... it... stop...” she spluttered in-between taking huge gasps.

 

“Peridot, I’m so s-sorry...” Steven sobbed as he held onto the green Gem, Amethyst now sitting on her other side and holding her in an embrace. 

 

The three of them sat together silently on the bathroom floor, the two quartzes holding onto Peridot for dear life, rubbing her back and trying to soothe her each time she began choking.

 

Steven looked again at the article that Peridot had been reading on her tablet.

 

“... _perform a procedure that will leave the afflicted person without the ability to feel love again..._ ”

 

He glanced at Amethyst, who seemed to know what he was thinking.

 

“Peridot...” he said carefully, “I need to heal your Gem.”

 

“NO!” she cried, spewing more flowers onto the ground as she did so, “I don’t... want t-to...”

 

“Peridot, please – I know the article says you won’t be able to love again and that you’ll forget Lapis, but you’re a _Gem_!  This will probably work differently for you than it does for humans...”

 

Steven yelped as Peridot’s body suddenly lurched forwards.  She had fallen unconscious again, and hit the cold bathroom floor face-first.  Hands trembling, the young boy propped her back up against the bath.  He checked his friend’s Gem to make sure that she hadn’t damaged it in the fall; only to let out another terrified yelp.

 

Peridot’s Gem was cracked.  And what’s more – Steven could see blue flower petals beginning to protrude from out of it.

 

“Amethyst... w-what do we do?!” he wailed, “We can’t even a-ask Garnet and Pearl for help...”

 

“I know, dude...” Amethyst said sadly, “I have no idea when they’ll be back, and we don’t have much time.”

 

The purple quartz wiped a tear from her eye as she looked at the stricken technician.

 

“Steven, you have to heal her Gem,” she told the young boy, “We don’t have a choice.  If you don’t... she’s gonna...”

 

Steven took a huge breath as he attempted to calm himself.

 

“You’re right...” he mumbled, “I just hope this works...”

 

He looked over to Amethyst again, who solemnly nodded at him.  Without another word, Steven licked his hand and planted it onto Peridot’s Gem, which immediately began to emit a faint light as the cracks started to close up.

 

\---

 

A little while later, Peridot regained consciousness – and seemed to be in perfect health.

 

Steven and Amethyst had asked her how she was feeling, but neither of them wanted to mention the flowers (which they had cleared away while their friend was still sleeping)... or Lapis.

 

Their idle conversation was suddenly interrupted by a voice calling out from the front of the Temple.

 

“ _Peridot_?!  Are you there?!”

 

The three friends paused and averted their gazes to the bathroom door; as none other than Lapis Lazuli came charging into the room.

 

“Oh my gosh, Lapis?!” Steven cried out in joy, “You’re here!”

 

“Steven, Amethyst, it’s so good to see you both...” Lapis began, before turning to face the small green Gem who was standing in-between them.

 

"Peridot... I'm back, for good... and I am so, _so_ sorry.  I never should have left you like th-"

 

" _What_ are you talking about?" the technician sharply interrupted.

 

"I..." Lapis hesitated, perturbed by the look of pure confusion written across her barn mate's face, "I'm sorry for leaving.  I knew I had to come back.  You were right, earth _is_ our home.  And also... I..."

 

Lapis hesitated, fidgeting slightly as a dark blue blush began to paint her cheeks, "I’ve realised now that I... I had to come back for _you._ Peridot, I love--"

 

"I have no idea what you're babbling about," Peridot said dismissively, a harsh coldness in her voice that none of the others had heard in a very long time, "Have we even met before?  I don't recall ever _seeing_ an Era 1 Lapis Lazuli, let alone being acquainted with one."

 

"Wh-what?!" Lapis gasped, feeling like the whole world was falling apart around her.

 

"Peridot!  What the heck, girl?" Amethyst piped up, trying her best to diffuse the situation, "It's Lapis! _Lapis Lazuli_ , your room-mate, your--"

 

"Amethyst, I have _never_ met a Lapis Lazuli before now," Peridot replied sternly, "You must be mistaken."

 

The purple quartz looked to Steven; the horrifying realisation was beginning to dawn on them both.

 

Peridot was cured of her disease and would survive, that much was true.  However, this cure had come at a price - one which the little green Gem was blissfully unaware of.  Peridot had not only lost her feelings of love for Lapis; she'd lost all her memories of the Ocean Gem, too.

 

The technician began to make her way to the bathroom door.

 

"Peri... _please_..." Lapis desperately called after her, reaching out a hand to touch the green Gem's arm.

 

Peridot squeaked and quickly moved her arm out of reach.

 

"G-get off me, you _clod_!" she spluttered, running out of the room while the others looked on, the two smaller Gems each gently putting an arm around the heartbroken Lapis Lazuli.

 

\---

 

After Steven and Amethyst delivered the devastating news to Lapis in full, the blue Gem was inconsolable.  She quickly fled the temple in floods of tears and took the barn back into space with her.

 

"What's the point of being stuck on Earth?" she had thought to herself, "If she doesn't even know who I am?!"

 

Wiping away yet another tear, the Ocean Gem gazed down at the planet earth below her.  She had wanted to call that place "home".  She had wanted that so very badly...

 

But now, it was just Lapis Lazuli and her rickety old barn again.

 

She hopped down from the roof of the barn, her feet meeting the gritty surface of the earth's moon.  She would rest here for a little while and then take off into the depths of space, for good.  The only thing that was stopping her from doing so immediately was the strange, concerning sensation that was building up in her chest.

 

Lapis suddenly cried out and doubled over in pain.  She put both hands to her mouth and let out an almighty, painful cough.  And then another.  And another.

 

Taking a deep breath, Lapis moved her hands away.  She froze to the spot when she saw what was now sitting in her hands and falling slowly through her trembling fingers.

 

Bright green flower petals.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Lapidot Angst Week on Tumblr (Free Day).


End file.
